NDP land to go to Egyptian museum

The old headquarters seen next to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo(Photo by Ahmed Al-Malky)

The interim cabinet has decreed that the land formerly belonging to the National Democratic Party (NDP), where the burnt building of the headquarters is located, will be handed over to the Egyptian museum with the aim of developing it and its gardens.

Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim said that the decision is a result of state efforts to support the museum and implement Article 49 of the 2014 constitution, which obliges the state to maintain antiquities.

He added that the land would be added to the museum campus, which is considered an antiquity. The minister thanked the government, which he said prioritised Egyptian heritage during crucial era of the country’s history.

The minister said that the land will be part of the museum’s gardens in the attempt to develop the museum and introduce modern technology to it, which will help to turn the museum into a world-class institution.

He added that this will be done through the ministry’s plan to develop museums in Egypt and turn them into scientific and cultural institutions, which will raise awareness regarding antiquities in the country. The minister told AlBorsa that a Franco-German-Egyptian project is underway, which aims to develop the Egyptian museum area in Tahrir Square, as the entire area has become a “touristic site”. Thus, Ibrahim said that the ministry had the right to develop the area and that it would redistribute and use the square to turn it into an international touristic site.

He added that the ministry is currently discussing funding with the French and German parties; the cost of the project is not yet known and that recent events have delayed the project, he said.

Ibrahim said the development of the museum is part of a project by the Ministry of Housing, titled the Khedival Cairo project, which will place the museum site “on the map” and raise its value.